Williamson piles more misery on hapless Proteas in New Zealand

New Zealand kept their foot on South Africa’s throats and extended their dominance of the first Test at Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui, taking a 528-run lead into the fourth day. 

In the process Kane Williamson became the fifth New Zealand batter to register hundreds in both innings of the same Test, following up his first innings 118 and 109 in the second. Williamson was able to play more freely, hitting 12 fours and six, with the century his 31st, and breaking him clear of Australia’s Matthew Hayden, England’s Joe Root and West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who all have 30 Test centuries to their name.

It was a day on which the understrength South Africans were made to suffer, learning the harsh realities of the sport’s hardest formats and exposing the gap in experience and class that exists between the two teams. Besides poor batting, there were some dreadful mishaps in the field later, including an embarrassing dropped catch by Ed Moore that gave Williamson a life on 61, while Clyde Fortuin also missed a relatively easy stumping with Devon Conway on 21.

While New Zealand have been the front-runners in the match, Tuesday was the first time South Africa were made to look like a second rate team for an extended period. This included their first innings batting, which lacked patience and discipline, and their bowling in the final session. Williamson, one of Test cricket's greatest batters, stamped his authority making the bowling look amateurish. The gulf has been enormous. 

South Africa were bowled out for 162, handing New Zealand a 349-run first innings lead. The Black Caps, looking to bat for time and force further deterioration of a pitch on which the bounce is becoming inconsistent, batted through the final session. They finished on 179/4. The Black Caps are very likely to declare overnight, and force the Proteas to bat out the final two days.

The Proteas’ problems started in the sixth over of the day where David Bedingham was dismissed having lost patience after a few solid drives had been stopped by the New Zealand fielders. That frustration forced a poor error, in which he fetched a ball from outside leg stump and got a leading edge giving Mitchell Santner an easy catch. 

Bedingham looked disappointed, and rightfully so. On debut against India at Centurion and for most of his innings, particularly on Monday evening, he timed the ball elegantly and struck some lovely shots through the offside. 

But New Zealand cut off that area of strength as all opposition teams will and Bedingham needs to be patient if he is going to allow his abundant talent to flourish at the highest level. Scores of 32 won’t help his team at all. 

Keegan Petersen played well for his 45, but was out trying to increase the scoring while batting with the tail. South Africa’s batters were pinned down by accurate New Zealand bowling, with the hosts assessing conditions better and targeting the stumps, something South Africa’s bowlers failed to do. 

The extra pace from Tim Southee and Matt Henry provides an element the South African attack also lacks, which was evident in the final session, when the Black Caps scored 152 runs in 32 overs. 

New Zealand’s coach Gary Stead explained that his team’s decision not to enforce the follow-on was to protect the bowling unit, given that the gap between the two Tests is not long. The second Test starts in Hamilton next Tuesday.